This invention relates to a Non-symmetrical worm seal plate and valve housing for a vehicle, such as an aircraft.
A hydraulic system for an aircraft may be used to control operation of the aircraft's systems. For example, the raising and lowering of wing flaps, the opening and closing of on-board doors, and the control of delivery of fuel to the engine may all involve a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system has an actuator that controls operation of each of these features. Given the critical nature of these systems, they may be provided with redundancies to prevent complete system failure if any part of the system fails. Consequently, it is not unusual for a hydraulic system to have duplicate components to take over a function of a failed component.
In particular, it is common to have redundant valves that control fluid flow to the actuator of the hydraulic system. Fluid lines within a machined housing pass from each of these valves to the actuator piston. Another valve, such as a switching valve, controls the communication of fluid from each of the valves to the actuator so that if one fails, the switching valve reroutes fluid flow from the other valve to the actuator.
These redundant components may be identical to minimize system cost. Due to this similarity, the fluid lines to each of these components cross over. This crossing over of lines contributes greatly to the overall size and weight of the unit.
In the past, these fluid lines were created by drilling multiple passages to form a complex network of lines. These lines were plumbed through the housing of the valves. To form an elbow shaped line in the housing required the drilling of two holes, one hole for each line extending from the elbow. Because two holes had to be drilled through the housing, one for each line, one was required to be plugged to ensure correct fluid flow through the elbow. These plugs add further weight and cost to the assemblies.
A need therefore exists for a hydraulic assembly that allows the crossover of fluid lines without additional weight or cost.